3 Best Practices to Help Sift Through Cybersecurity Challenges
At this point, it probably seems like there’s almost as much information out there about how to combat cybersecurity threats as there are threats themselves. Every day there’s a new report that contains a wealth of valuable – and sometimes, disturbing – information. It’s enough to make a federal IT pro feel overwhelmed.
Like so many other things, though, it’s helpful to remember that the foundation for a successful approach to defending against cyber threats can ultimately be boiled down to a few core best practices:
1. Develop a plan. It may seem like a no-brainer, but the fast-paced world of federal IT often leaves little time for planning and strategy, both of which are essential to combatting cybersecurity threats. Your plan should encompass a number of initiatives including, what to monitor and how; automated software patching; procedures that should be followed in case of a breach; a roadmap for capabilities you would like to add to your team; and more. The plan should be a “living document,” continually updated as necessary and shared with those who assume any sort of control or management of security protocols.
2. Educate staff. Educate all federal IT staff so they can act accordingly during an attack. Also, alert them to any known threats (i.e., Heartbleed) that could affect the systems they are responsible for managing. It’s critical to educate end-users as well so they can be your first line of defense instead of the weakest link.
3. Implement automation. The number of devices being used in government circles, combined with the exceeding complexity of federal IT networks, makes it impossible for administrators to effectively monitor activity without network automation tools. Therefore, it’s a good idea for you to implement real-time, automated network monitoring solutions that will alert you and automatically respond to potential problems as they arise. The tools can help you respond to the threat before any damage is done.
While these are the fundamentals, there are a lot of other factors that can come into play when dealing with cybersecurity threats. Many of these factors are covered in the aforementioned reports that seem to be issued on a weekly basis, all of which contain useful data that can sometimes be challenging to sort through.
That’s why DLT and SolarWinds have teamed up to put together some information designed to help federal IT pros understand the key points illustrated in many of the most recent reports. First, we’ve developed an infographic that highlights notable cybersecurity data and how you can mitigate the most critical risks. We also hosted a complimentary webinar that distilled information from recent threat reports published by Verizon, Symantec, SolarWinds, McAfee, and others, and educate administrators on what they can do (and what tools to use) to keep their networks and information safe.
The points above outline a good foundation, but they should be augmented by the detailed insight found in the myriad of reports at your fingertips. The challenge is to distill that insight and make it actionable. Attending the webinar will help you do exactly that, and help you continue to build a solid security posture for your agency.
To learn more, download our free on-demand webinar, Making Sense of Threat Reports.
By Mav Turner, Director of Product Strategy for Security, SolarWinds
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